


Read Between the Lines

by AwkwardPotatoChild



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 5+1 Things, Cute, Drinking, Fluff, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Oblivious Ukai, Romantic Fluff, This is honestly just a lot of fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 01:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17437181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwkwardPotatoChild/pseuds/AwkwardPotatoChild
Summary: Sometimes, Ukai is a bit slow.or 5 times Takeda subtly confesses to Ukai and Ukai doesn't respond + 1 time Ukai does respond





	Read Between the Lines

**Author's Note:**

> I'm supposed to be working on a completely different Haikyuu fic, but I couldn't resist writing this one as well. This was supposed to also go up on Friday, but I finished early and it was too cute and I made myself cry while writing it, so I had to share it now, even though it's like close to midnight in my time zone.
> 
> If you've read some of my other works, you may know that I _love_ this moon confession thing. But if you don't, here's an explanation.
> 
> **A note about the confession:** It may seem odd that Takeda confesses in this manner, but it's a literary allusion. Apparently, Japanese novelist, Natsume Souseki, translated the phrase to mean "I love you" because at the time, Japanese people were more reserved and so, this was an indirect way of confessing one's love. I'm not 100% certain of the truth in this and I'm uncertain of how common this is or how many people get the reference, but I found it to be sweet and now, I kinda can't stop using it. lol!  
> You can read more about it [here](https://www.italki.com/article/909/Confessing-Your-Love-In-Japanese?hl=en-us) and [here](https://www.quora.com/Why-does-The-Moon-is-beautiful-Tsuki-ga-kirei-desu-ne-mean-I-love-you-in-Japanese).
> 
> As always, I have no beta, so please let me know if there are any mistakes.

1.

The first time Takeda confesses, Ukai definitely doesn’t notice.

Then again, that was probably Takeda’s goal to begin with.

It was a Sunday that day, so there hadn’t been any practice. (It had taken Ukai forever to convince those boys that resting was just as important as practicing though.) It was getting late, and with how dark it was and the fact that he hadn’t seen anyone come into the store within the last few hours, Ukai was contemplating closing up early. He figured he’d wait just a few extra minutes, just to be safe, and he was glad he did since just as Ukai stretched, groaning about how old he was, he heard the sound of the door opening and looked up to find a familiar face smiling at him.

“Oh, sensei.” Ukai gave him a small nod, which was returned. “Didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

Takeda chuckled sheepishly, a faint blush on his cheeks. “I was grading some essays and lost track of time. It took me awhile to realize that I hadn’t eaten yet and well, there’s nothing in my fridge right now either.”

Ukai laughed at this and nodded in understanding. He then made an odd noise when he suddenly remembered that his fridge was bare too, but Takeda didn’t notice, having already moved to grab a bento and a bag of chips. He quickly grabbed a can of coffee, which made Ukai frown slightly as he realized that the teacher wouldn’t have grabbed it if he didn’t have anymore grading to do.

Takeda brought his things to the counter for Ukai to scan and bag. He was about to pull out his wallet, but Ukai cut him with a wave of his hand. Takeda looked up at him with wide eyes, head tilted as he tried to understand what was going on.

“I’m about to close up and you’re my last customer,” said Ukai as he pulled out a bag. “You and I both know each other too, so don’t worry about it. Alright? Think of it as a small thank you for all that you do.”

Takeda stared at him curiously, but then nodded, giving his thanks. He looked around as he waited for Ukai to finish up before his eyes settled on the darkness outside. Ukai took that as his chance to slip in one of the candy bars he had seen Takeda eating during practice before tying the bag up nicely for him.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

It was Ukai’s turn to look up in confusion this time. He raised an eyebrow at the teacher’s comment and studied him curiously as he stared out the door still. Following his gaze, Ukai couldn’t see the moon from his position, but he nodded anyway.

“It sure is.”

Turning back to him, Takeda gave Ukai a smile before taking the bag on the counter. He gave another bow, which made Ukai chuckle, before he left the store. Ukai went about sweeping up and turning off the lights as usual before he went outside to lock up and head home.

Thinking back, had Ukai taken the time to look up while he was locking up outside, he would’ve realized that the moon was nowhere in the sky that night.

 

2.

The second time Takeda confesses, Ukai is exhausted.

The bus ride back from the training camp was silent, leaving Ukai and Takeda to their own thoughts as the baby crows all slept, exhausted. Ukai gave a yawn, tired out as well. He shifted his attention to Takeda to make sure he was doing alright, and he smiled faintly when he noticed Takeda bopping his head as he quietly hummed a tune to himself. He chuckled at this and Takeda turned in surprise, a faint blush on his cheeks. Ukai said nothing though, so Takeda took the chance to briefly glance in the rear view mirror.

“Are they all asleep?” Takeda asked softly.

Ukai sat up and looked back. He chuckled faintly as he took in the sight of all of the boys asleep. Some of them were snoring softly, while others were not so quiet. Some of them had managed to fall asleep against the windows, even with the bumping of the bus, while others had fallen asleep on each other instead. Even Kiyoko and Yachi had fallen asleep, heads rested against each other as well.

“Yup,” answered Ukai as he sat back down. “Every last one of them.”

“Good. They deserve to get some rest.” Takeda gave him a nod. “You too, Ukai-kun.”

“Me?” 

Ukai might have had his name going for him, but he knew (and he made sure all the boys knew too) that everything that they had now were only made possible because of Takeda and his hard work.

Takeda was the one that believed in Karasuno’s volleyball team before anyone else. He was the one that sought out Ukai to begin with. He was the one that constantly begged and called and pestered everyone possible to ask for just one chance. Karasuno wouldn’t have made it this far without Takeda constantly supporting and believing in them. They wouldn’t have made it this far without his endless persistence, and they wouldn’t have made it this far without his love and care.

Ukai snorted. “If anyone deserves to rest, it should be you,” he said, gesturing to the teacher. “I should be the one driving. We wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you, sensei.”

“I didn’t do much.” Takeda shook his head as he said this. “I just never know when to give up and happen to be really good at bowing.”

“Well, I’m glad you are.”

Takeda looked over at Ukai and gave him a smile that was quickly returned. The two of them fell silent again and Ukai leaned back against the window as Takeda continued to drive. The steady rhythm of the bus paired with Takeda’s faint humming soon made it impossible to fight his exhaustion and before he knew it, his eyes fell shut, joining the rest of the team in dreamland.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Takeda barely whispered.

But Ukai was already fast asleep, leaving Takeda to his own thoughts once again.

Thinking back, had Ukai stayed awake for a few seconds more, he would’ve heard Takeda.

 

3.

The third time Takeda confesses, Ukai is drunk.

It was nearing the end of another training camp, so before they all departed the next day, the coaches all gathered for a night of drinking and socializing.

It went about as usual, with all of them laughing and teasing each other. Some of them joked about how their teams did, while some of them made bets over who would win that would be forgotten by morning. The revelry would go long into the night, but Ukai and Takeda were the first few to leave.

Ukai staggered about in the streets, not yet regretting getting into an extended drinking contest with Naoi. The heat of his body was unbearable, even though he had already taken off his jacket, so the cool night air was all too welcome. Takeda walked next to him, doing his best to make sure he didn’t get hurt as they tried to make their way back to their hotel room. Takeda liked drinking as much as Ukai did, but he decided to hold back that evening since he didn’t want to be too sick to drive everyone home the next day.

Thankfully, their hotel wasn’t far from the bar they were at and with Takeda’s help, Ukai soon found himself face down on his bed. He faintly registered Takeda laughing at him as he tried to help him get changed and cleaned up.

“Sensei,” Ukai said suddenly. “Take-chan, you’re the best, ya know that?”

Takeda laughed even more. “You’ve been telling me that for the last hour.”

“I have?”

Ukai lifted his head, but immediately dropped it when he got hit with a wave of dizziness. He let out a groan that was muffled by a pillow that he felt had just appeared out of nowhere.

“You have,” Takeda chuckled. “But thank you for telling me again, even though I disagree.”

“Well then, I’ll say it again!” declared Ukai. He tried to push himself up, but was clearly in no state to do so. Takeda rushed over to help him, but he waved him away before eventually deciding to just turn himself over and onto his back instead. “Takeda, you’re the best!”

“Thank you, Ukai-kun.”

Ukai gave a thumbs up in acknowledgment before letting his arm fall back onto the bed. He laid there and stared at the ceiling as he listened to Takeda get ready for bed. It didn’t take long for him to return and Ukai turned to face him as he laid down on the bed beside him, burying himself into the blankets.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

Ukai turned towards the window and squinted in the darkness, as if that would help him find the moon. The curtains were drawn though, but he could’ve sworn that he maybe saw a sliver of it somewhere there.

“Fuck yeah, it is,” agreed Ukai. “So fucking beautiful. Like cheese.”

Ukai felt warm again and smiled to himself when he heard Takeda laughing once more. There was no doubt in his mind that the teacher was shaking his head.

“Good night, Ukai-kun.”

“Night, sensei.”

Thinking back on this, had Ukai given up on that drinking contest, he would’ve remembered what happened that night.

 

4.

The fourth time Takeda confesses, Ukai is intently focused.

On some evenings, Ukai would find himself over at Takeda’s place, or vice versa, surrounded by an endless sea of papers. After a number of late night visits from Takeda at the store, Ukai figured out that aside from the volleyball team, Takeda didn’t really have much of a social life due to how much work he had to do.

Ukai was all too familiar with this due to the fact that the only social interaction he got outside of Karasuno was with his regular customers and the neighborhood association (and also because his parents keep on telling him to hurry up and get married), so it wasn’t surprising that he would eventually invite Takeda over to teach him more about volleyball and to keep him company during his late night grading sessions.

Ukai was currently rewatching a match between Seijou and Shiratorizawa for what seemed like the twentieth time that evening, while Takeda’s essays seemed to never end. He had his headphones in, so he couldn’t hear the teacher mumbling softly to himself as he read over each word, but he could catch glimpses of him frowning and smiling and nodding as he graded each paper carefully.

He soon saw Takeda sigh and rest his head on the table before he stretched and moved to get up. He gathered up the trash around the room and Ukai gave him a grateful look. Takeda gave him a smile before gesturing to the kitchen, silently asking if he wanted to join him on his break, but Ukai waved a hand, telling him to go on without him. Takeda nodded and disappeared, leaving Ukai to his video once again.

Ukai wasn’t sure how long had passed, too focused on the match, but it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes before he heard a familiar muffled voice saying something.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Hm?” Ukai didn’t turn around.

“I said the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“What? Hold on. I can’t hear you.”

This time, Ukai quickly paused the video and pulled out one of his headphones. He turned around as well and was met with the sight of Takeda with a beer in each hand.

“I asked if you wanted another beer,” said Takeda as he held one out for him.

“Oh yeah. Thanks.”

Ukai took the bottle and immediately drank from it. Takeda did the same before sitting down next to him once again. He leaned over, eyes wide as he tried to decipher Ukai’s notes, and Ukai couldn’t help but laugh at his mild confusion before he began explaining his observations.

Thinking back, had Ukai taken a break with him, Takeda wouldn’t have had to repeat himself.

 

5.

The fifth time Takeda confesses, Ukai finally figures it out.

Practice was going on as usual. The boys were all practicing and working hard, while Ukai observed them carefully and Takeda threw out words of encouragement every time they did something. Ukai casted a few smiles his way whenever he did so, feeling the same way that he did about their crows.

“Good job, Tsukishima-kun!”

Takeda cheered excitedly after a particularly good spike. Tsukishima appeared indifferent towards the comment, but when he turned around, Ukai caught a glimpse of him fighting the urge to smile and chuckled at this.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Takeda said quietly, looking up towards Ukai.

Ukai hummed in agreement and nodded. “Tsukishima’s form is definitely getting better. His teamwork has improved too.”

Takeda nodded, falling silent once again. The rest of practice continued without any other problems or oddities, and soon, Ukai found himself back at home.

But it was now, in bed, that Ukai was finally struck by how odd Takeda’s earlier comment had been.

The usage of the nickname for the blunt middle blocker was unusual since Yamaguchi was the only person that Ukai knew who used it (and the only person Tsukishima would even allow to use it). Not only that, Ukai realized that he had definitely heard Takeda say it on more than one occasion. In fact, he felt like he had heard Takeda say it to him a lot.

Sitting up in bed, Ukai reached for his phone and decided to consult the internet for help. His eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped when he realized what Takeda had been trying to tell him along. He felt himself grow warm and blushed at the realization that someone like Takeda actually felt that way about him, but it was then replaced with guilt, when he realized how long it took for him to finally understand.

Thinking back, had Ukai paid a little more attention in his literature classes, Takeda wouldn’t have had to wait this long.

 

+1

The sixth time Takeda confesses, Ukai knew how to respond.

It was getting late and Ukai was thinking about closing up early again, when Takeda walked into the store with the same soft smile on his face.

Ukai sat up immediately and smiled broadly, hoping that Takeda couldn’t tell how nervous he was. Ever since Ukai figured out what Takeda was trying to say, he had been patiently waiting for the teacher to confess to him again, so he could respond in kind. It had been about a week now and Ukai was starting to wonder if he was actually right about everything, but he remained hopefully as Takeda greeted him and went to grab some food.

“Another late night?” Ukai tried to ask casually.

He kept glancing up at Takeda as he slowly bagged up his things. Takeda hummed quietly and Ukai couldn’t help but smile at how Takeda looked around as he waited. He was about to slip in a candy bar for him when Takeda finally softly said those familiar words and Ukai nearly dropped everything right then and there.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Takeda mumbled as he looked at his phone.

“I can die happy!”

Ukai quickly covered his mouth when he saw Takeda staring at him with wide eyes and realized that he just yelled in the poor man’s face.

“I mean,” continue Ukai. “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to yell at you like that.”

Ukai laughed sheepishly, while Takeda gave him a tentative nod. He finally got his heart to calm down and he looked towards the teacher with a gentle smile.

“But I meant what I said though. I can die happy.”

Takeda inhaled sharply, finally understanding. “Oh, um, I, um, I, uh-”

“Sorry it took so long for me to figure it out.” Ukai figured it would be best to give Takeda a moment to sort through his words. “I, uh, never expected someone like you to love someone like me. To be honest, I think you deserve so much better than some delinquent second-rate volleyball coach who works at a convenience store. But I’m not gonna deny that I feel the same way about you.”

“Ukai-kun.”

Takeda’s eyes were tearing up and Ukai prayed to every deity out that they were happy tears.

“So...what I’m saying is that I love you too and I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me?”

“Yes!” Takeda blurted. He quickly composed himself, wiping away a few stray tears. “I mean, yes, I would love to.”

Ukai smiled brightly when he comprehended Takeda’s response. Takeda smiled back just as broadly and the two stared at each other, a soft look in their eyes that reflected upon everything that had led to this moment. They stared each other for some time, neither of them wanting to break the silence, but the look was a meaningful one, one that was like a long kiss.

“I have to get going,” Takeda finally said with a shy chuckle. “I’ve still got papers to grade and I should probably eat dinner soon.”

Ukai jumped and quickly handed the bag over to Takeda making him laugh. He suddenly realized how much joy the sound of his laughter and the sight of his smile brought him, making him feel warm and light, and he knew had found someone wonderful.

“If you’ve still got grading to do,” said Ukai, “maybe...I could come over later this week and keep you company. We can have dinner and talk and stuff.”

“It’s a date then.”

Ukai nodded and silently watched as Takeda left. Both of them had dopey smiles on their faces as they waved to the other.

Thinking back, had Ukai realized that Takeda was confessing to him that first time, he would’ve realized that they both loved each other long before then.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this! :]
> 
> [dangcommaannie.tumblr.com](http://dangcommaannie.tumblr.com/)   
>  [Updates](http://dangcommaannie.tumblr.com/tagged/annie-writes-updates)


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